Automatic feed for wire-fence machines.



PATENTED AUG. 15. 1905.

. J. HARRIS AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 3.1905. v

3SHEBTS-SHBBT 1.

No. 797,056. 7 PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. J. HARRIS. AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WIRE FENCE MACHINES.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN.3,1905.

3 SHBETS-SHBET 2 No. 797,056. PATENTBD AUG. 15, 1905.

. I J. HARRIS. v AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WIRE FENGE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3,1905.

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Sumwtoz yi bmooeg E Y J @W WM {JED M aHor/mu I UN TED srATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HARRIS, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO J ANESVILLE BARB W IRE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF IVISOONSIN.

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR WIRE-FENCE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed January 3, 1905. Serial No. 239,383.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES HARRIS, of J anesville, Rock county, Wisconsin, have invented an Automatic Feed for ire-Fence Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is especially intended for application to those machines making wire fences of what is known as the squaremesh type-that is to say, fences having longitudinal strand-wires and transverse stays or pickets connecting the strand-wires at regular intervals. The particular kind of squaremesh fence to which this invention is applicable is that wherein each stay is made up of a number of pieces, each of which connects a pair of adjacent strands, so that the stay as a whole comprises as many pieces, less one. as there are strand-wires. It is customary in this type of fence to space the strands unevenly and in such manner that those strands nearest the bottom of the fence shall be closer together than the strands which are at the top, the spacing increasing gradually from bottom to top, the purpose of this being to prevent small animals from getting through the fence, while using the least necessary amount of wire for any given height of fence. In machines adapted to make this kind of fence it has been impossible hitherto to find a practical feeding device which would feed the stay wires simultaneously and in unequal lengths proportioned to the spacing of the several strands unless the wires fed are spaced at considerable distances from each other.

The object of my invention istherefore to provide a practical device especially for such cases where the wires are in close proximity and which shall feed unequal lengths of staywires and infallibly feed the correct'length of stay-wire at each cycle of the machine.

The principle of my invention resides in a plurality of bars, herein termed feed-bars, which are mounted to slide independently of one another in a reciprocating frame and have the individual stay-wires passing there through-that is, one through each barand means on each bar for'gripping its wire, to-

- gether with a piece fixed on said reciprocatber returns to its original position, carrying with it all the bars to their original positions.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, reference should be had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein I have shown my invention as connected up to one form of wire-fence machine.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a wire-fence machine. showing my feed connected thereto complete. Fig. 1 is a part of Fig. 1 which was broken from the top of Fig. 1 because it could not be brought within the limits of the sheet. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my automatic feed on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof on the line 3 of Fig. 2, showing the cover of the dog-box removed. Figs. 4 and 5 are each partlya front elevation with the dogbox removed and partly a longitudinal section on the line 40f Figs. 3 and 6, on a larger scale, showing the feed-bars and parts connected therewith in their two extreme positions. Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the feed-bars and the toothed dog therein, showing the cross-key in transverse section. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the feedbars and the cross-key in reversed position. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the rear face of the dog-box-that is, on the line 8 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the holding-dogs.

In the drawings each reference numeral or letter refers to the same part in all the figures.

In Fig. l I have shown my feed at A mounted in connection with one form of wire-machine B in which the stay-wires are fed in a direction at right angles to the strands; but I do not wish it understood that my feed is limited in its application to this style of machine, as

it may be applied to all machines whether the stays are fed in parallel to the strands or otherwise and whether the individual staywires are of equal or unequal length. At 0 and D, respectively, at the rear of the machine and at the right hand of the feed device are mounted frames which carry coils of-wire 11 12, from the former of which the strand-wires E F G H I J K are drawn and from the latter the stay-wires f g 71 2' j. The strand-wires pass first through straighteners 13 and thence longitudinally to mechanism 14 which fixes the stay-wires in position on the strands. The fence so formed is carried to a feed-drum l5 and thence to a winding-drum at the front of the machine, carried on brackets 16 and operated by a belt 17, running over a pulley 18; but said winding-drum is not shown, because it falls beyond the limits of the sheet. We are here concerned only with the operation of the device A, which seizes the stay-wires and pushes them endwise into the machine B, and in this case (the machine shown beinga seven-strand machine) three of the stay-wires will be fed over and three under the strands and all in the same vertical plane, so that only the uppermost stay-wiref is seen in Fig. 1. The

.several stay-wires may be made to pass between rollers 19, which bring them into the proper vertical .plane, and thence through guide-plates 20 21-one for the lower three and the other for the upper three wires -and thence through straighteners 22 23, a separate straightener for each wire, arranged in step fashion, as shown in Fig. 2, because the wires are too close together to enable the straighteners to be placed one under the other. The straighteners 22 23 are bolted to an inclined supporting-bar 65, Fig. 2, which is secured at one end to the projecting stationary bracket which carries the feed mechanism and may be supported at the other end by a post 66.

.Longitudinal holes will of course be bored through the straightener-bases when necessary to allow the several wires to pass through.

These strai hteners however form no art of my invention, but merely illustrate the usual application thereof.

My invention as here shown comprises a bracket 24:, which is bolted to the side of the wire-machine in such manner that the line of each wire shall be continuous with that which it occupies when fed into the machine, the several wires being made to pass through holes in a guide-plate 25. On the bracket 2a are formed bearings 26 27, in which turns a vertical shaft 28, which has on its upper end a crank 29 and on its, lower end a miter-gear 30, meshing with its companion gear 31, mounted on a horizontal shaft 32, turning in bearings 33, secured to the frame of the ma chine, only one of which bearings is shown in the drawings, Fig. 2. I use one of the machine-shafts 32 in this case to operate the main shaft 28 of my feed, whereby it is caused to turn in unison with the parts of the machine and the feed of the strands, and thus maintain the properrelative timing of the feed of the stay-wires in the cycle of operations; but I wish it understood that my invention is not confined to this mode of driving, as the shaft 28 may be driven, if preferred, by alternative means not connected with the machine B.

The bracket 24 has a horizontal extension 34:, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, which is provided with sliding-ways 35, on which is mounted to slide tailed groove therein to receive the extension 34:, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The carriage 36 has atits right-hand end apost 37, on which is a pin 38, connected by a link 39 with the crank-pin 40 of the crank 29, whereby the rotation of the crank 29 imparts a reciprocating movement to the. carriage. The carriage 36 has in its face three longitudinal ribs 36, alternating with two longitudinal recesses 41 4:2, in each of which slideindependently a num ber of bars 43, herein termed feed-bars, from the function they perform in gripping and feeding the wire. One of these bars is shown in plan view in Fig. 6 and in perspective in Fig. 7 turned bottom side up. Each feed-bar 43 has on its under side a longitudinal groove 44, which groove is of just suflicient size to receive one of the stay-wires and is preferably flared at its ends, so as to prevent any possible catching of the wire on the ends of the bar and to permit it to pass through the same easily. At the center the groove is changed to a hole pierced through the bar or formed by means of a plate 45 set in and fixed to the bar, and along the middle portion of this hole the feed-bar has a transverse slot 46 of trapezoidal'form, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The rear edge of this slot corresponds with the further side of the wire, so that the latter passes through the slot and rests on the parallel longer side thereof, and connected with the slot near the opposite side is formed a longitudinal slot 47.

In the slot 46 is loosely placed a trapezoidal feed-dog &8, whose sides slope toward each other from back to front, as shown. and this dog has one or more teeth 49 set in the edge thereof adjacent to the wire and having their points directed forwardly-that is, in the direction of feedwhereby when the dog 48 is pushed up against the wire from the right the tooth 49 will bite into the wire and hold it while the feed-bar is pushed forward to feed the wire. Although I may use several teeth 49,1-prefer to use only one, as I have found this to be the most effective in assuring the full length of feed, or, in other words, to prevent the feed-dog from sliding on the wire.

Through each of the slots 47 of the several feed-bars passes a cross bar or key 50, which may be tapered and driven into slots 50 in the ribs 36 of the carriage, or, as here shown, supported in place by a small pin 51 driven through the upper end thereof. This bar has its rear left-hand edge chamfered or cut away obliquely, as shown at 52, Figs. 6 and 7, along that part which lies across the feed-bars, this chamfered edge being parallel to the righthand edges 53 of the dogs L8. served from Figs. 4 and 5 that the slots 47 in the several feed-bars are of different length, said length corresponding to the length of the respective stay-wires, or, to be more precise,

a reciprocating carriage 36, having a dovel the length of the slot- 47 in each case is such It will be ob as to give the cross-bar 50 a free play in the slot equal to the travel of the carriage less the length of the stay-wire which is cut ed by the machine. Each feed-bar has also cut in its front edge a notch 54, whose sides, or, at least,the right-hand side,is cut away obliquely, as at 55, to admit the wedge-shaped end 56 of a holding-dog 57. Theseveralholding-dogs for the respective bars are mounted in a dog-box 58. (Shown in side view in Fig. 3 and in rear elevation in Fig. 8.) The dog-box 58 comprises a block having a su pporting-pedestal 62 bolted to the bracket 24 and having lateral grooves or recesses 59, which receive the holding-dogs 57, said grooves being alternately on opposite faces of the block in order to enable the dogs to be mounted independently. The holdingdogs are held in place by covers 63, secured to the block by bolts 64. The right-hand cover 63 is removed in Fig. 3. At the rear of each groove 59 there is a bore in which is mounted a coiled spring 60, which presses against the head of the dog, and the pressure is adjusted by means of a set-screw 61 passing through the front face of the dog-box and forming an abutment for the front end of the spring. In Fig. 3 a part of the block 58 is broken away around the spring and set-screw to clearly illustrate this construction.

The notches54 are so placed on the several feed-bars that each holding-dog57 will fall into the notch provided for it when all the bars 43 are drawn back by the striking of the key 50 against the right-hand ends of the slots 47 upon the retreating motion of the carriage and the latter has reached the limit of its travel, the parts being then in the position .shown in Fig. 4. When the carriage moves forward, the several bars 43 will at first remain stationary, because they are held by the dogs 57 in the notches 54, the key 50 sliding along the slots 47 until it successively strikes the feed-clogs 48, whereupon, by reason of the oblique surfaces of the feed-dog, the key, and the slot in which the feed-dog is placed, the latter is first forced against the wire and the tooth 49 is caused to bite thereinto, and then the continued forward motion of the carriage overcomes the resistance of the spring-pressed dogs 57 and forces them out of the notches 54,carrying the feed-bars one after the other along with it until the carriage has reached the limit of its advance movement, when the bars will be in the positions therein inclicated in Fig. 5. When the carriage begins to retreat, the feed-bars remain stationary until the key 50 strikes the right-hand ends of the slots 47. The dogs 48 fall back into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 6, and the feed-bars then move backward with the carriage, while allowing the free passage of the wires through them.

An additional guide-plate 67, mounted on the carriage, shouldbe provided between the straighteners 2O 21 and the feed-bars 43 to insure the wires properly entering the grooves 44 in the feed-bars.

From the foregoing description the mode of operation of my invention will be readily understood, and it will be seen that it provides amethod of infallibly feeding the exact amount of stay-wire necessary in each case and independently of the variation of the lengths of the several stay-wires. I wishit particularly understood that my invention is not confined to the specific form of grippingpiece 48 shown in the drawings, for a pivoted piece acted on in the same mannerthat is, by the key 50 striking against it, and so causing it to grip the wire*may be used to equal advantage, and, moreover, the piece need not necessarily be provided with teeth which bite into the wire, but may merely grip the wire by binding upon it frictionally. For a toothed gripping-piece, however, my feed-dog 48, as shown, presents a distinct advantage over some dogs heretofore used for feeding wires which are pressed by a spring at all times upon the wire, and consequently the point or tooth of the dog is caused to rub against the wire on the backward movement of the feed device, and so becomes worn smooth in a very short time, so that it no longer bites into the wire or holds it securely without slipping. It will be observed that as soon as the backward movement of the feed-bar commences in my device the dog 48 is thrown back away from the wire and out of contact therewith, or, at least, is not pressed thereagainst, so that the tooth 49 keeps sharp indefinitely.

Other modifications may be introduced which will readily occur to those versed in the artas, for example, the position of the slots 47 may be changed, or different equivalent means for moving backward and forward the feed-bars may be provided, or the spring-dogs 57 may be dispensed with or altered in construction, and so on. My invention is therefore not confined to the precise mode of carrying it out which is herein illustrated, and I do not, therefore, wish to be considered as limiting myself to specific constructions further than is indicated by the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A feed for wire-working machines and the like, comprising a reciprocating member, gripping means for the individual wires carried by said member, means carried by the member for causing said gripping means to engage the wires during dilferent times in the advance stroke of the said member, and means for reciprocating said member.

2. A feed for wire-working machines and the like, comprising a reciprocating carriage, pieces carried thereby and having means for gripping the respective wires, and means adapted. to cause the advancement of said pieces with each advance movement of the carriage 1 dog carried by each feed-bar and adapted to through different distances after gripping the wires.

3. A feed for wire-working machines, comprising a series of bars arranged in proximity to a series of parallel wires to be fed, gripping means on each bar adapted to grip a wire, and means for advancing each bar through a different distance during the time the wire is gripped thereby in the advance movement of the feed.

4. A feed for wire-working machines, comprising a series of bars arranged in proximity to a series of parallel wires to be fed, gripping means on each bar adapted to grip a wire, and means for advancing each bar through a different distance in the advance movement of the feed.

5. A feed for wire-working machines and the like, comprising a plurality of bars arranged one over the other and in proximity to a series of parallel wires to be fed, means for reciprocating said bars in the direction of said Wires, and gripping means on said bars adapted to grip and carry along the respective wires in the advance of the bar, each gripping means being arranged to grip its wire over a diiferent distance in the advance movement of the feed.

6. A feed for wire-working inachines'and thelike, comprising a plurality of feed-bars arranged side by side and in proximity to aseries of parallel Wires to be fed, and reciprocating in the direction of feed of said wires, a feed-dog carried by each feed-bar, and means acting on the several bars in an advance movement of the feed which first operates the feed-dog causing it to grip its wire and then causes the advancement of the bar.

7. A feed for wire-working machines and the like,comprising a plurality of feed-bars arranged side by side and in proximity to a series of parallel wires to be fed and reciprocating in the direction of feed of said wires, a feeddog carried by each feed-bar, and means acting successively on the several bars in an advance movement of the feed which first operates the feed-dog causing it to grip its wire and then causes the advancement of the bar to the end of the stroke.

8. A feed for Wire-working machines and the like, comprising a carriage reciprocating in the direction of feed, a plurality of pieces mounted to slide individually in said carriage, each piece having means for gripping one of the Wires to be fed, and means carried by the carriage for engaging each piece individually at a certain point of the advance stroke and causing it to grip its wire and then advance with the carriage through a certain distance.

9. A feed for wire-Working machines and the like, comprising a carriage adapted to reciprocate in the direction of feed, a plurality of feed-bars mounted to slide in said carriage and each adapted to feed one wire, a grippingengage the wire and carry it with the feedbar in the advance movement of the latter releasing it on the return movement, and means carried by the carriage .for causing the engagement of each of said gripping-dogs and subsequently the advancement of the respective feed-bars.

10. A feed for wire-working machines and the like, comprising a carriage adapt-ed to reciprocate in the direction of feed, a plurality of feed-bars mounted to slide in said carriage and each adapted to feed one wire, a grippingdog carried by each feed-bar and adapted to engage the wire and carry it with the feedbar in the advance movement of the latter releasing it on the return movement, means for holding each bar individually against movement until positively moved by the carriage, and means carried by the carriage for causing the engagement of each of said gripping-dogs, and subsequently the advancement of the respective feed-bars.

11. In a feed device for wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a feedbar having a transverse slot through one side of which a wire passes, and a dog mounted in said slot and adapted to engage and grip the wire when said feed-bar is advanced.

12. In a feed for Wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a feed-bar or piece through which the wire passes, said piece having a transverse slot through one side of which the wire passes, an obliqueedgeddog mounted in said slot, one or more teeth carried by said dog and adapted to engage the wire, and means for producing longitudinal pressure on an oblique edge of said dog, and thus causing it to be moved laterally, whereby said tooth or teeth bite into the wire.

13. In a feed for wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a feed-bar or piece through which the wire passes, said piece having a transverse slot through one side of which the wire passes, an oblique-edged feeddog mounted in said slot, one or more teeth carried by said dog and adapted to engage the wire, means for producing longitudinal pressure on an oblique edge of said dog, and thus causing it to be moved laterally, whereby said tooth or teeth bite into the wire, said means causing subsequently the advancement of the bar and dog as a whole, and means for holding said bar stationary until said feed-dog has engaged said wire.

14:. In a feed for Wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a feed-bar having a longitudinal recess through which the wire to be fed passes, said bar having also-a transverse slot therein passing across the wire and a longitudinal slot intersecting said transverse slot, a feed-dog mounted in said transverse slot and having an oblique edge and one or more teeth adapted to grip the Wire when the bar is advanced, means for frictionally holding said bar against movement, and a member working in said longitudinal slot and adapted in its advance movement to strike the edge of said feed-dog and cause its engagement with said wire, and subsequently the advancement of the bar and dog as a whole, and on its return movement to strike against the rear'end of said longitudinal slot and release said dog from the wire and return said bar to its original position.

15. A feed for wire-working machines and the like, adapted to feed individual parallel wires through different lengthscomprising a stationary member, a carriage mounted to reciprocate thereon, means for reciprocating said carriage, a plurality of feed-bars mounted to slide independently in said carriage and having each a longitudinal slot therein and a feed-dog at the front end of said slot arranged to seize and hold one of the wires to be fed; a key mounted on said carriage and extending through all of said longitudinal slots and adapted to strike successively each of said feed-dogs on its advance movement and subsequently to advance the respective feed-bars and Wires together, a plurality of holdingdogs for each feed-bar adapted to engage a notch in said feed-bar, and means for resili ently pressing said holding-dogs into theirrespective notches.

16. A feed for Wire-working machines comprising a plurality of feed-bars arranged adjacent to a series of Wires to be fed and to reciprocate in the direction of feed, each bar having a longitudinal slot, a feed-dog carried by said bar and normally projecting across the end of said slot, said dog being arranged to grip a Wire when struck from said slot, and a member reciprocating in the slots of all the bars and adapted in its advance movement to strike against the dog at the end of the slot of each bar and thereby cause said dog to grip said wire and subsequently advance the bar.

17 A feed for Wire-working machines and the like comprising a plurality of feed-bars one over the other, each having means for gripping a wire acted on to grip the wire when struck from, behind, and a member adapted in its advance movement to strike each of said dogs from behind causing it to grip its wire and subsequently advance the bar on which it is mounted.

18. In a feed for wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a member, means carried by said member adapted to grip a wire and operated when struck from behind, and a reciprocating sliding piece adapted in its advance movement to strike said means from behind and thereby operate it to grip the wire and subsequently advance the member.

19. In a feed for wire-working machines and the like, the combination of a reciprocating piece, a feed-dog movably mounted on said piece and operated from behind to grip a wire, and a second reciprocating piece acting to strike said feed-dog from behind and so operate it to grip its wire and subsequently advance said first-named piece.

20. In combination, a wire-working machine arranged to receive a plurality of straight parallel closely-disposed wires in the same vertical plane, and means on the line of said wires for advancing them endwise each a difierent distance during any cycle of the machine.

21. In combination, a square-mesh wirefence machine, means for feeding a plurality of parallel strand-wires therethrough, means for guiding a plurality of stay-wires into the machine in a plane at right angles to said strand-wires and in straight lines, and means in the line of said wires for advancing them individually through different distances at any cycle of the machine.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 31st day of December, 1904, in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HARRIS.

Attest:

GEORGE W. (Jones, A. JAMEs PAULY. 

